The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1887-05-06

COL. R. N. JOHNSON. of this consecrated
bed, within twenty feet of Theodore
O'Hara, was the spot selected fer the eter-
nal sleep of Richard NJ. johnson. The
tomb rests OH a granite base, and was
built of Italian marble by r. E. Lau-
nitz, of New York. 1t has pedestal
about eight feet square and six feet high, on
which stands truncated column ten
feet in height capped by an eagle
treading a Union shield. Col. johnson
was the third son of Col. Robert johnson,
of Kentucky His early education was some
what limited AS he approached man.
hood, however, lie subjected himself to
severe study, and was graduated by the
Pennsylvania university, at Lexington, the
first university west of the Alleghanies.
Among its graduates were Jefferson Davis,
Thomas F. Marshall and Robert j. Brecken-
ridge. johnson received instruction in law
under Hon james Brown, afterward United
States senator from Louisiana and minister
to the court of France. Before he had at
tanned the age Of 81 he was elected by accla-
nation from Scott county to a seat in the
legislature, and at the expiration of his term,
or at the age of "a years, promoted to a seat
in the lower house of congress. While
member of congress he gave his vote for
a declaration of war with Great Britain, and
afterward raised a regiment of Kentucky
volunteers, of which he was elected colonel.
and Joined the forces under William II. Har-
rison, governor of Indiana, and subsequently
general in the army and president of the
United States The Indians allied with the
British troops had been committing great
depredations in Illinois, southern Michigan
and Indiana, destroying property and
massacring the inhabitants, and at the
battles of Tippecanoe, in 1911, and River
Raisin, in January, 1918, had treacherously
killed the flower of the Kentucky volunteers,
among whom were the eloquent Attorney
General Joe Hamilton Daviess (who had
prosecuted Aaron Burr for conspiracy and
others. Consequently when the Ken
tuckians were brought face to face at
the Thames, in October, 1918, with
the savages under the celebrated chief
Tecumseh, they were goaded to the desperate
purpose Of wreaking vengeance for their
slaughtered citizens and kindred. Col. john
son divided his regiment with his brother,
who was detailed to charge the English,
while with the other half he himself led the
attack upon the Indians in the swamp. As
the enemy failed to come from under cover,
Col. johnson at the head of twenty men
pushed forward in advance of his troops, and
met q blaze of fire from the guns of the
Indians, which laid nineteen of the twenty ON
the ground, severely wounded the gallant
colonel and caused the mare he rode TO
stagger and fall to her knees. The rest of
his command ran to the rescue and the
Indians retreated. In speaking of his con-
duct at this battle in after years he said:
II noticed chief among the Indians who
succeeded in rallying them three different
times. This thought would endeavor to
advanced singly upon him, keep
ing my right arm close by my side and COW
cred by the swamp. He took tree and
thence deliberately fired at me. Although
previously rad four balls in me, this last
wound was more acutely painful than all of
them. His ball struck me on the knuckle OF
the left hand, passed through my hand and
came out Just above my wrist. ran my
left hand through my bride rein, for my
hand instantly swelled and became useless.
The Indian supposed he had mortally